Richard Statuto
AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATIONAbout Richard J. Statuto
Richard J. Statuto (age 68) joined APEI’s Board in March 2025 as an independent director. He serves on the Audit Committee and the Management Development & Compensation (MDC) Committee, bringing CEO-level healthcare system leadership and public company board chair experience (Premier, Inc.). His board tenure at APEI begins in 2025; APEI maintains an independent Board Chair structure and requires director stock ownership equal to 3x the annual retainer, with a five-year compliance period .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Secours Health System | President & Chief Executive Officer | 2005–2018 | Led pre-merger system; governance and strategic growth expertise |
| St. Joseph Health System (CA) | Chief Executive Officer | 1995–2004 | Oversaw operations and risk management |
| Catholic Health Association | Chairman, Board of Trustees | n/a | National governance oversight |
| Christus Health (Dallas) | Vice Chairman | n/a | Governance and finance committee exposure |
| Incarnate Word Health System | Vice Chairman | n/a | Governance and mission oversight |
| CMMB | Vice Chairman | n/a | Non-profit governance |
| American Red Cross (Orange County, CA) | Chairman | n/a | Community impact leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier, Inc. (NYSE: PINC) | Chairman of the Board | 2023–present | Compensation; Nominating & Governance |
| Premier, Inc. | Chairman of the Board | May 2013–Aug 2019 | Led board post-IPO |
| LRVHealth | Executive Advisor | current | n/a |
| CoVest Partners | Executive Advisor | current | n/a |
| Kmart; Innovation Institute; Covenant Health (MA); Mercy Housing; American Heart Association (Finance Committee) | Director/Board Positions | various | Governance/finance roles |
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent director; APEI boards/committees are majority/fully independent (6 of 7 nominees independent; all committees 100% independent) .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee member; MDC Committee member (Audit chaired by G. Blevins; MDC chaired by W. Robinson with A. Fabrega expected to chair post-Annual Meeting) .
- Meetings and attendance: In 2024, Board met 8 times (Audit 8; MDC 4; NCG 5), and all current directors attended ≥75% of Board/committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Board leadership: Independent Board Chair (D. Pianko since March 2025); independent director executive sessions at least twice per year .
- Risk oversight: Audit Committee now oversees enterprise risk management (amended charter Dec 2024); Board retains cybersecurity oversight with regular CIO briefings .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee directors) | $80,000 | Increased effective Jan 1, 2025 (from $70,000 in 2024); payable quarterly; election to receive in common stock permitted |
| Board Chair additional retainer | $80,000 | Increased effective Jan 1, 2025 (from $50,000 in 2024); not applicable to Statuto |
| Committee chair retainers | Audit: $15,000; MDC: $10,000; NCG: $8,000 | Applies only to chairs; Statuto serves as member (no chair retainer) |
| Subsidiary board representative retainer | $65,000 | For APUS or RU representation; not disclosed for Statuto |
| Reimbursement/Insurance | n/a | Travel reimbursement; D&O insurance coverage |
Performance Compensation
| Equity Component | Grant Value | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual restricted stock grant (non-employee directors) | $110,000 | Vests at earlier of one year from grant or immediately prior to next Annual Meeting | Increased for 2025; directors do not receive performance-conditioned PSUs; time-based restricted stock only |
No director-specific performance metrics are disclosed; APEI director equity is time-based. APEI’s broader plan features include one-year minimum vesting (with limited exceptions) and a non-employee director annual compensation cap of $500,000 under the Amended Plan .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Overlap with APEI Directors/Executives | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Premier, Inc. | None disclosed | Different industry (healthcare supply chain) vs. education; no related-party transactions disclosed by APEI since 2024 |
| Healthcare/Non-Profits listed above | None disclosed | No APEI related-party exposure disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Corporate governance, financial oversight, risk management, and strategic growth experience (CEO roles; public company chair) .
- APEI’s skills matrix lists Statuto with business strategy, operational, and risk management experience; education sector exposure present across the board composition though not explicitly assigned to Statuto .
- Executive advisor roles to venture/private equity firms (LRVHealth; CoVest Partners) strengthen capital allocation and innovation perspectives .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard J. Statuto | 888 | 0.005% (888 / 18,036,421) | Under director stock ownership guidelines (3x annual retainer) with 5-year accumulation period; hedging and pledging prohibited |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with significant chair/committee experience; assigned to Audit and MDC committees (key for financial reporting and pay oversight). APEI’s governance policies prohibit hedging/pledging and require meaningful stock ownership; committees are fully independent; ERM oversight moved to Audit in 2024, aligning risk and reporting .
- Alignment: Director equity is time-based restricted stock with increased grant value in 2025; ownership guideline of 3x retainer fosters alignment over a five-year window .
- Shareholder signals: 2024 Say-on-Pay support at 92% suggests investor alignment with compensation governance; non-employee director pay adjusted toward market median following external consultant review (Willis Towers Watson) .
- Red flags: None disclosed specific to Statuto. APEI reported no related party transactions since the start of 2024; Section 16(a) delinquency noted for two other directors, not Statuto .
Overall, Statuto’s healthcare system leadership and public-company chair background should bolster Audit and MDC effectiveness at APEI. No disclosed conflicts, pledging/hedging prohibitions, and ownership guidelines support investor confidence, with monitoring appropriate as his ownership accumulates under the five-year guideline .